Ellen Douglas was the pen name of Josephine Ayres Haxton (July 12, 1921 – November 7, 2012), an American author. Her book Apostles of Light was a National Book Award nominee.Douglas was born in Natchez, Mississippi and grew up in Louisiana and Arkansas. She graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1942.Douglas died of heart failure at the age of 91 on November 7, 2012.